


Let Me Go Back

by Destielixer



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-19 05:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2376911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destielixer/pseuds/Destielixer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two countries/kingdoms are caught up in a stupid war. Mickey is the prince and Ian is his personal guard. Terry is the king and he’s possibly a little nicer here than he is in the series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Go Back

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Sorry for the OOC it can't be helped~

[SEND ME A SHIP AND A NUMBER AND I’LL WRITE A SHORT FIC](http://gallaviction.tumblr.com/post/98454350270/send-me-a-ship-and-a-number-and-ill-write-a-short-fic)

* * *

 

“He’s going to come back now…isn’t he?” Mickey asked his father when he heard the news that the soldiers on the frontline had gotten stuck on enemy grounds and captured.

Terry shook his head, “That depends on how smart that Gallagher is,” he answered as he moved the token for a portion of their armies across to the enemy territory on the map.

Mickey shook his head, “You shouldn’t have allowed him to go in my place. That should be me in there!” he snarled as he stabbed a finger at the enemy territory. As Ian’s master he shouldn’t have allowed it but he’d had no say in it at all.  

“You are the prince and my only legitimate son, did you truly think that I would have sent you into enemy hands?” his father scoffed, “You have soldiers for a reason. You let them do the work for you and if anything happens it’s their lives that will be on the line. Not yours. Not ours.”

“He  _meant_ something to me father!” Mickey shouted, “You knew that! But you chose to send him anyway and you know why? Because you’re going to get rid of him! You’re hoping he’ll die there, that he won’t come back. You just fucking wait and see, Ian’s going to come back and when he does, I’ll make sure that he knows what you did.”

Terry laughed, “What will you and that boy do huh? What  _can_ you do? I am your ruler!” he roared.

“And I am your son! Need I remind you? I’m your only son. I’ll run away and then you can see who the fuck else you’re going to put on the throne! Maybe my skank of a sister, oh she’ll be having more bastard kids than you that’s for sure! Wonder how you’d like that,” he snarled and then turned from the study, making for his own room.

He began to pace the length of it now his mind worried about Ian’s safety. Though he’d said that Ian was going to come back and that he would tell the redhead about his father’s plans Mickey wasn’t actually confident about it. His mind could only think up the worst scenarios. What if Ian was already dead? The news of their capture was already two days late coming from a rider who’d seen the enemy take them captive.

No, he had to remain positive. Ian had to be alive. He had to.

“There’s so many things he doesn’t know yet…” Mickey muttered as he ran a hand through his hair, exasperated.

They were fighting a battle that was stupid to say the least. Who the fuck fought over a piece of land in the middle of nowhere? It was at  _sea_ for fuck’s sake. Trust Terry to want even the smallest piece of land. Though…that small piece of land in the sea was rumoured to have an underground cave full of riches. So obviously that was the ‘wager’ in this stupid war. As if both kings were so stupid that they would fight over a goddamn rumour…he’d thought, yeah well apparently they were that stupid and they would cost the lives of countless young men in the course of their stupidity.

* * *

A week after they’d still had no news. The war went on, soldiers were injured, and they came back to the palace to be treated. Lives were lost and still Mickey searched for Ian amongst the countless burnt and bandaged faces that came into the palace grounds each day. He waded through the bodies of young men and boys in beds dying or already dead. Sometimes he would think he saw the redhead but when he went over it was just another one of the soldiers.

He would sit with them and talk, hear their stories of what it was like on the battlefield and every time, every single goddamned time, they would always smile and tell him, “It was a great pleasure to have served and died under your banner Your Highness.”

Just like that he would feel like crying because people were dying for fucking rumoured treasure! And because that was what Ian had told him too…

_It was a day before Ian and the troops that he was going to command were to leave, they’d taken to the palace gardens to talk. They walked together in silence for a while navigating the maze together. Mickey was still wondering if he had done the right thing in letting his father put Ian in command of his troops when it should have been him…_

_“I’m happy to be taking your place Mick. And you know it wasn’t just because your father asked me to head the troops right?” Ian asked, “I did it for you. If it means that I get to know that you’re safe then I’d do anything,” Ian said._

_“I don’t need to be safe I know how to fight,” Mickey retorted not liking how Ian was always protecting him like that. It was pretty embarrassing at times._

_“They won’t want a fight if they know they’ve got the prince amongst the ranks they’d capture you,” Ian explained._

_“And you’re any different?” Mickey asked_

_“They’d think they caught themselves a prince, but I’m not a prince,” he said with a grin._

_“You’re a pauper,” Mickey chided as he walked on ahead. Ian was a pauper that had snuck his way into his heart by becoming his personal guard._

_“Correct,” the redhead answered as he caught up to Mickey, taking his hand as he turned the prince around to face him, “I’m a pauper so my life would mean nothing if it was lost in the midst of trying to protect you from them. You’re the one thing that’s important to me first and foremost and then to the country. And as my prince and future king, to serve you and to die under your banner is to have died for a great cause.”_

_“Don’t talk shit now okay? You’re not going to die! And it’s not a great cause! It’s a stupid one! You’re fighting and risking your lives for a stupid rumour!” Mickey said raising his voice._

_“I’m not going to die but if it means that I get to go in the place of the one that I love, risk my life for the one that I love then that is completely alright with me,” Ian confessed, noting the way the prince squirmed at his words._

_“Don’t say that.”_

_“Why not? I do love you Mickey and you know that or haven’t I shown you enough already?” Ian teased as he leant in closer._

_Mickey held him back in his advances his cheeks burning at Ian’s tone, “We might have had a few…encounters…but…”_

_“But you love me you just can’t say it,” Ian finished._

_“I never said that!”_

_The redhead grinned, “Exactly you haven’t said that so maybe when you see how brave and strong I can be you’ll say that.”_

* * *

“Mick!” his sister called running into the library all of a sudden, “Come quickly, father’s back!” Mandy said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the library not giving him a chance to reply.

“I don’t see why you’re so happy about his return,” Mickey muttered as he jogged down the hallway behind his sister, she’d always been his father’s favourite anyway so it was no surprise that she was happy for his return.

After a month of no news about Ian, his father had finally set out with a party of soldiers to negotiate terms to end this war. And he hopefully had also heeded his request to search for Ian. With what little more soldiers they could afford his father and the soldiers rode into enemy territory to speak with their king. If he was returning now, this early, then it could only mean two things. Either that he’d succeeded or that he’d failed.

They made their way into the main hallway and then out into the courtyard. Mickey’s eyes widened at the sight his father had returned with a larger number of men than before. He was unscathed and moreover, the soldiers were holding someone on a stretcher. His heart skipped a beat at the sight and be broke free of Mandy’s grasp as he ran towards the stretcher.

Mickey fell to Ian’s side on his knees just as the soldiers set him down.

“You’re back!” he whispered as he looked at the gaunt figure of his beloved guard.

Ian smiled at him and reached for him.  

He grasped Ian’s hand as it reached for his cheek, his voice trembling as he spoke, “You’re alive and you’re back…”

“Yeah…I made it back…” Ian said his voice barely above a whisper as he touched Mickey’s cheek and grinned.  

If he didn’t look so pale, so fragile Mickey would have pulled him up and hugged him. But instead he sat there with Ian’s hand on his cheek, “Yes, yes you did you stupid idiot I love you,” he said the words tumbling out before he could even think through them, “I was so fucking worried!”  

Ian coughed and laughed at the same time making a wheezy sound that seemed to rattle through his chest, “I knew it would work…getting you to say that you love me when I came back. Oh Mick, I love you…I’ve missed you…” he said trailing off, “Also I can’t believe your father saved me…” he said as he closed his eyes now and Mickey panicked reaching a hand to card through Ian’s hair, seeing his eyes flutter open again, “Hey don’t you fucking die on me okay. I command you not to as your prince.”

The redhead chuckled, “You can’t command me not to die, you’re not a god,” he said.

“I know…but you can’t die…I don’t want you to…” Mickey whispered feeling his eyes burning with unshed tears, “You can’t…not when you just made me say something so fucking embarrassing,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to the palm of Ian’s hand.

“Mmm maybe that’s all I wanted to hear from you,” Ian laughed and then coughed again, that same wheezy sound tearing through his body.

“You’re such a bastard!” Mickey scolded as he sobbed now, swiping away at his tears; he didn’t give two fucks if anyone saw him crying.

“I’ll be fine, I love you Mickey and I’ll be fine for you…” Ian said with another smile as his father had the soldiers take him into the area for the sick.

Ian was given a special corner of his own under Terry’s orders and Mickey stayed there night and day to watch him as the doctors worked.

But Ian never got better he was never was fine again.

He passed away three days later in his sleep.

Mickey could never get over the heartbreak and the pain that it caused him.

He blamed his father for going to negotiate too late, and he blamed the enemy but most of all he blamed himself. Because if it hadn’t been for him, Ian would still be alive, he would still be here with his stupid annoying jokes and his tender kisses and his outrageous flirting.

If only he’d just gone in Ian’s place…

 


End file.
